The Ultimate Sacrifice
by NATFreak
Summary: Rose's son Henry recalls the events of Avengers Endgame from his point of view.


Disclaimer: All I own is Rose, Hen, and Lilly.

**A/N: This one shot is an extremely late birthday present for my Jade Leopard as he recalls the events of **_**Avengers Endgame **_**from his point of view. So, without further ado, I turn it over to Henry. Enjoy!**

We never saw the Snap coming at the mansion for while the Avengers were battling Thanos and his army, the X-Men were dealing with a family matter. Needless to say, it was quite a shock when my father and little sister, along with all of my friends, turned to ash before my eyes leaving only my mother and I struggling to find out what happened. It's times like these that I'm actually grateful to have my premonition power.

"Mom, did you see that?" I asked her as a vison of everyone gathered at the Avengers' compound talking about millions of people flashed before my eyes.

My mom stared at me questioningly then understanding lit her cat-like eyes as she received the same vision. "Let's go."

We rushed over to the compound to find Aunt Nat and Uncle Steve looking at a bunch of monitors. Bruce, Thor, and Rhodey were there too.

"Rose," breathed Aunt Nat, tears lining her eyes. "And Hen. You're alive. Thank God."

"What the Hell is going on?" demanded Mom, hugging her best friend and staring at Uncle Steve. "And why isn't Tony here?"

Uncle Steve sighed and told us all about Thanos who had been searching for the six Infinity Stones to wipe out half of existence. Uncle Tony went to space to stop him but they haven't heard from him since so he could very well be dead too.

"Or adrift in space somewhere," said Mom.

"That may be," acknowledged Uncle Steve. "All we can do now is wait."

We waited at the Avengers compound until Aunt Pepper received a message from Uncle Tony confirming he was alive and stuck in space. Our new friend Captain Marvel who is seriously amazing and arrived a few days before, set off into outer space and retrieved him.

I ran over to Uncle Tony after Uncle Steve helped him down the steps and into Aunt Pepper's waiting arms. "Uncle Tony, I'm glad you're okay. Mom and I were afraid you had disappeared like Dad, Lilly, and everyone else back home."

Uncle Tony gently hugged me then glanced over my shoulder at my mom who was watching us with a sad smile. He let me go and walked over to her with Aunt Pepper's help. "I think someone could use a hug."

Mom nodded and hugged Uncle Tony as tears streamed down her cheeks. Uncle Tony patted her head then Mom and Aunt Pepper assisted him inside.

~ The Ultimate Sacrifice ~

"Just like that?" demanded Rhodey as we all sat together and discussed going to where Thanos was to get the Stones and bring everybody back.

"Yeah, just like that," replied Uncle Steve and the adults suited up.

"I want to go with you," I told my mom.

"I know you do," she murmured, running a gloved hand through my hair. "But I need you to stay here and keep an eye on your uncle, okay Hen?"

"Alright," I murmured back. "You can count on me."

"That's my boy," said Mom, kissing my forehead. "I'll be back before you know it."

Although she did come back, it was with ill tidings. Thanos had used the stones to destroy the stones meaning all those we had lost remained lost. My mom and I spent the next five years visiting Aunt Nat at the Avengers compound and hanging out with Uncle Tony, Aunt Pepper, and their daughter Morgan at their cabin.

"Come on, Hen. We talked about this, You can't get taller than me," Uncle Tony fake whined one day as he came out onto his porch to greet us. "But I guess that's as impossible as your mom's good looks fading away."

"Hey, Uncle Tony," I responded, casting my mom a sideways glance. She had been awfully silent the past few days which was starting to worry me.

Uncle Tony placed a hand on my shoulder. "Don't worry, kid. I'll look after your mom. Why don't you go play with Morgan in your guys' impenetrable fortress?"

"Okay," I agreed and went off to play with my little cousin until Aunt Nat, Uncle Steve, and Scott Lang (aka Antman) showed up with this crazy idea Scott dubbed a time heist which seemed incredibly risky. Uncle Tony shut them down because he could see no way to safely execute their plan to go back in time before Thanos, retrieve the stones, and bring everyone back to here and now.

"Are you mad at me?" Uncle Tony asked Mom after the others had left. They were sitting on the porch together while I played with Morgan in the yard.

"If you can't figure out a surefire way to do it then I'd rather not try," she replied, touching Dad's dog tags which hung around her neck. "I can't bear to lose anyone else. I'm not strong enough, Tony."

"You're stronger than you think, baby sis," he murmured watching her. "I miss him too, you know."

Mom cocked a golden eyebrow at him.

"Don't look at me like that, I do," he assured her. "I loved his overcompensating muscles and lumberjack accent."

Mom burst out laughing making me smile. _Thanks, Uncle Tony. I don't know what we would do without you._

~ The Ultimate Sacrifice ~

"Still awake?" noted a familiar voice. I turned my head to see Uncle Tony striding towards me with a strange expression on his face. "That's not good for your looks, bud."

"I could say the same to you," I shot back as he sat down next to me and I returned to looking out the front window. "What are you doing up?"

"Oh, just figuring out time travel," he told me casually.

"I thought you said it was a pipe dream," I recalled.

"Not anymore it isn't," said Uncle Tony.

I stared at him incredulously. "Hold on. Are you saying you found a way to travel through time safely?"

Uncle Tony nodded. "I couldn't stop thinking about it, so I tinkered and made a time travel GPS watch."

"We can do it then," I whispered. "We can get the stones and bring everyone back."

"Yes," he confirmed slowly. "Here's the thing though. I want you to hang back here in case everything goes sideways. Also, I need you to promise to look after your mom, Morgan, and Aunt Pepper if anything happens to me."

"But nothing's going to happen to you, right?" I asked him, getting a bad feeling. "Right, Uncle Tony?"

"I don't know, kid," he admitted. "What I do know, however, is that everything's going to be okay."

~ The Ultimate Sacrifice ~

"Tony, don't!" My mom screamed as Uncle Tony pushed her out of the way, grabbed the stones, and snapped his fingers. "No!"

There was a blinding light that covered the battlefield as everyone, including those who had been brought back and gathered by Doctor Strange, covered their eyes. Then Thanos and his men turned to ash as Mom and I hurried over to Uncle Tony who could barely stand.

"Tony, why did you-?" began Mom as tears ran down her face. "I should have been the one to."

Uncle Tony gave my mom a small sad smile. "You…weren't…fast…enough."

Mom let out a sob as Uncle Tony glanced meaningfully at me.

I inclined my head as tears flowed from my eyes too. "I won't forget my promise to you, Uncle Tony."

We helped Uncle Tony to a place where he could sit down and moved out of the way for Rhodey and Aunt Pepper. Mom went over to Dad who held her tight and kissed the top of her head while I hugged my baby sister as Earth's greatest defender passed away.

~ The Ultimate Sacrifice ~

"Are you ready?" asked my mom as she stood in my doorway. "The funeral is about to start soon."

"Yeah, it's just, I'm having trouble with my tie," I confessed.

Mom laughed softly and walked over to me. "Here, let me."

"Thanks," I replied as she fixed it. "I'm really sorry about Uncle Tony and Aunt Nat."

"Me too," Mom murmured. "They wouldn't want us to be sad though. They sacrificed themselves so we could live and be happy. That's what we gotta do."

"Not to mention deal with the new threats which always crawl out of the woodwork," said Dad as he and Lilly joined us. "Tony and Natasha gave their lives believing the world would be left in good hands."

"And it is," I responded. "Because it has us."

I won't let you down, Uncle Tony and Aunt Nat. I swear it as an X-Man, as an Avenger, as the son of Wolverine and Silver Cheetah, and as your nephew. I will help protect this world, this universe, and everyone in it so thank you. Thank you, 3000.

**A/N: And there you have it! Happy birthday, Hen even if it is late. Until next time, read review and show the love.**


End file.
